The Dangers of a Gluten-Free Diet

For the 98 percent of the population NOT diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, celiac disease or a wheat allergy, going on a gluten-free diet might actually do more harm than good. Before you go gluten-free, please read this article.

In one study, 10 healthy thirty-year-olds were put on a gluten-free diet for one month. Analysis of their BM’s and food intake indicated that their numbers of healthy gut bacteria decreased. More surprisingly, the numbers of unhealthy bacteria increased.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that a gluten-free diet, even for just one month, could alter the microbes in such a way that it could cause the immune system to be compromised, not only in the gut, but also in the peripheral blood vessels. (1)

Gluten Boosts Immune Response

In another study involving 9 healthy individuals, five individuals were given 3 grams of concentrated wheat gluten per day for just six days, and four individuals were given a gluten-free diet. The gluten group saw a significant increase in NK cell activity. This is significant as NK cells (also known as natural killer cells) constitute our bodies’ frontline defense system. NK cell activity is also an important mechanism in individuals with autoimmune conditions and cancer. The group on a gluten-free diet saw no positive increase in NK cell activity. (2)

Gluten Lowers Cholesterol

While there are many studies that link a diet rich in whole wheat to lower cholesterol levels, the wheat fiber, specifically, has always been assumed to be responsible for this health benefit.

However, in one study, folks who ate a diet high in fiber and gluten saw lower triglyceride levels than folks who followed a diet that only increased fiber levels. (3) This suggests that the gluten, and not the wheat fiber, which is typically credited with cholesterol-lowering and heart health benefits, may be the factor responsible for lowering triglyceride levels.

Gluten-Free Diet Raises Mercury Levels

In one recent study, mercury levels were compared in three groups of people:

Celiac patients on a gluten-free diet

Celiac patients who had not yet started a gluten-free diet

Non-celiac patients who ate wheat regularly

The group of celiac patients that had been on a gluten-free diet had 4 TIMES the amount of toxic mercury in their blood compared to the other two groups. (4)

As we can see, while removing gluten from one’s diet may seem like a healthy idea, there may be unintended consequences.

In another study of more than 10,000 adults in 14 countries in Europe, Scandinavia and Australia, researchers compared children who grew up on farms to children that grew up in suburbia or the city. They found that children who grew up on farms were: (8)

54 percent less likely to have hay fever

57 percent less likely to have nasal allergies

50 percent less likely to have asthma

The researchers found that the farm kids who were exposed to more dust, mites, and respiratory irritants had more white blood cells (WBCs) than urban kids, suggesting that the immune system does indeed respond to stimulation.

When we take all the digestive stimulation out of the diet by removing foods that are somewhat harder to digest, we may also be removing an immune-boosting stimulus that we have developed for millions of years. Remember, we have been consuming wheat and cereal grains for almost 4 million years – not 10,000 as is purported. (9)

The concept that our overall health and immunity is determined and boosted by irritants and certain toxins is called “The Hygiene Hypothesis.” Since the discovery of the microbiome, this theory is gaining much traction and certain harder-to-digest foods, like wheat, may turn out to be important immune-boosters. (5)

Gluten-Free Nutrition Concerns for Celiac Patients

For celiac patients, gluten-free diets have been linked to nutritional deficiencies, and even weight gain. Numerous studies have demonstrated that gluten-free diet products are poor sources of minerals (such as iron), vitamins (such as folate, thiamine niacin and riboflavin) and fiber. Therefore, the nutritional content of gluten-free foods is an increasing area of concern. (6)

In one study on adolescents with celiac disease, they found that following a gluten-free diet lead to greater nutritional imbalances, weight gain and obesity compared to the control group that did not eat a gluten-free diet. (7)

For more compelling research (over 600 studies!) on this topic, check out my new book, Eat Wheat: A Scientific and Clinically-Proven Approach to Safely Bringing Wheat and Dairy Back Into Your Diet. Join me as I take you on a journey to re-introduce wheat and other hard-to-digest proteins back into your diet. Eat Wheat reveals hidden science on the benefits of wheat and dairy, helps you navigate around food toxins in modern wheat and dairy, teaches you how to flush congested lymphatics linked to food intolerance symptoms and ultimately retrains your body to digest wheat and dairy again.

Comments

Going gluten free doesn’t mean eating the gluten free processed food crap that is marketed to those who think they can’t live without gluten containing foods. Those foods DO increase the issues you write about, but avoiding gluten and most grains does not. In addition, gluten feeds viruses that are responsible for much of the inflammation in people’s bodies. Highly recommend The Medical Medium and Life-Changing Foods books by Anthony William.

What I KNOW for sure is that if I eat normal wheat products for several days in a row I feel awful: irritable, negative, hopeless, angry, and with brain fog. My skin gets oily and I break out sometimes and I’m 62! I LOVE wheat products and was raised (by a RD) on them. I eat decent quality as well. But it’s enough to entirely change who I am; for the worse. I was tested negative for celiac over ten years ago.
Theories are interesting Dr., but a person has to listen to their body.
Blanket proclamations that turn into recommendations, ie. ” Eat Wheat”, without individual analysis are irresponsible and unprofessional.

Maybe you tested negative for Celiac Disease 10 years ago, that doesn’t mean you do not have the celiac gene or you have gluten sensitivity which would create those problems you mention. I tested negative for Celiac as well, but then I did a genetic test and showed gluten sensitivity and celiac gene. What’s funny is that I can eat gluten and it will not make me feel sick at all. I started a gluten free diet 6 months ago and still have the original symptoms (no stomach issues) I had 6 months ago and is actually worse. Their is to much to learn from both sides and for now we are all Gunea Pigs. ;-(

Apparently, some of the above commenters didn’t read the book. So sad; you’re angry for nothing. Being tied to your beliefs / experiences doesn’t leave much room for growth or discovery. Dr. Douillard is not telling people to jump right in and eat gluten-containing / hard-to-digest foods immediately. He gives very compelling reasons to address the root causes of one’s digestive difficulties….far more important in the ensuing years, whenever those more serious issues might occur. Rectifying the REASONS for our digestive difficulties then gives us the choice, not the imperative, to avoid or embrace any number of foods.

in regard to the dr. j.d. and d. perlmutter debate, i congratulate both for this fine service.
i still cannot believe that the blood sugar issue is not covered here in regards to wheat
consumption.
as someone previously mentioned, the glyphosate issue also is not being discussed.
i believe that one should monitor their blood sugar levels before they even bother with
a gluten sensitivity test. not being gluten sensitive does not mean it is ok to eat wheat.
listen to your own body first. the dr’s a distant second.

I love wheat and I love any research that suggests that it may not be the evil food product so many people think it is. The gluten-free diet has become a bit of a fad and I am tired of gluten being blamed all the time.

THAT SAID, I am a scientist and a professor, and I spend an enormous amount of time discussing with students what conclusions the data warrant and what conclusions stretch the data inappropriately.

I love your approach, because you speak to the need that so many people have for scientific evidence. I worry, however, that the credibility of the work you cite, and the conclusions that you draw from that work, will diminish in the eyes of scientists if you use language that strays too far from the data. For instance, is it really appropriate to say that a “gluten-free diet raises mercury levels”? Assuming the investigators conducted a carefully controlled laboratory investigation (which they seem to have in this case), they still tested only people diagnosed as celiac. Moreover, you cite just one study, when the replication and reproducibility of findings are really needed for people to feel confident in them.

To repeat, I love what you are doing! I hope that my advice might help you reach a broader audience.

-Liz Pinel, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychological Science at the University of Vermont
Lead Researcher of the University of Vermont’s study on Interpersonal Ayurveda

Yes I agree that a gluten free diet is dangerous but only if you replace gluten with gluten free processed food products. For a lot of people including my children it is not a fad diet but a necessity for health. It’s obvious that the studies that you refer to about the mercury levels, those people were eating high amounts of rice flours in processed GF foods. We take the Paleo approach and replace our gluten with fresh veggies and fruits. I would like to see a healthy diet factored into the evidence instead of one crappy diet replacing another crappy diet.

Dear Dr. John,
I grew up in rural Italy and was accustomed to eating and enjoying a wide variety of foods. Fast forward to me moving to the US to a completely different food scene. I do not remember having digestive issues growing up but seemed to develop some kind of sensitivity as I moved to the US. As a student of Ayurveda, my digestive complaints faded away once I focused on improving the health of my digestive fire instead of going on restrictive elimination diets. Fast forward again to a couple of years ago when my son became really sick with PANDAS and was unfortunately put on a very restrictive diet (no gluten/no diary and more). His symptoms got progressively worse until I saw the light and re introduced everything into his diet and went back to following the very basic Ayurvedic wisdom. Interestingly enough, as he was prescribed the very descriptive diet I decided to show solidarity and remove those foods from my diet as well. Sure enough, within a mere few weeks I became hopelessly constipated, anxious and unable to sleep. Luckily, thanks to your teachings I realized right away what was going on….my good bugs were starving. As I reintroduced all the different foods my digestion and elimination normalized again. Also, this might be of interest to you. With PANDAS, children show a high amount of anti neuronal antibodies in their blood. According to some research my son’s health should have completely deteriorated when we re introduced gluten and dairy against our doctor’s medical advice. Instead, the opposite just happened. My son’s anti neuronal antibodies disappeared and he is on his way to heal from this autoimmune disease. Of course, his healing protocol included many other things (good sleep, rest, rejuvenation, strengthening agni and more) but I believe that re introducing all the foods he was meant to eat played a huge role not only physiologically but also psychologically. If wheat and gluten were damaging for the brain then we would not have seen such a dramatic improvement in his inflammatory marker and anti neuronal antibodies. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with all of us!

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of John Douillard. They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, and they are not intended as medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of John Douillard and his community. John Douillard encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.